First foreign-funded imam thrown out of Austria

Austria, which was accused last year of becoming a centre for terrorism after failing to tackle Muslim extremism, has moved this week to throw out its first foreign-funded imam.

Imam Yakup Aynagoz, whose salary is paid by Turkey and who was until now an imam at the Ahi Evran mosque in St Veit an der Gölsen in Lower Austria, was ordered to leave the country within seven days after his visa was not extended.

The controversial new law on Islam was introduced in February last year following allegations that Austria had allowed extremism to gain root in the country.